Looking Through the Pinhole: 2013 Reflections of a Woman Living and Working in Iraq

I started to draft this post about a week before leaving Iraq (end of August). It is a reflection of my three years in Iraq, how I was transformed by the people, the country and all the experiences that I had. 

This is a picture I really love because it reflects the diversity of Iraq. This is Baba Sheikh, the Yezidi's version of the Pope. Yezidis are one of Iraq's religious minorities that are part of the mosaic of Iraqi society. We went to visit him to Lalish, the Holy place for the Yezidi's during their  new year in Mid-April.

The Journey

Almost 3 years ago, to be exact, December 2010, I arrived here to work as a volunteer in a local women organization. I didn't have any plans as for how long I would be staying. I was supposed to go back to school anyway by the fall of 2011, to start a new Masters Degree (after kind of postponing my Ph. D in Pharmacy). I thought a few months in Iraq will do a service to my CV, I would improve my Arabic, and I would have a chance to tell Iraqis that not all Americans supported the war in Iraq. After three years, what I thought I would achieve is completely different to the course things took for me in Iraq.

Iraq, (and Israel/Palestine) have been the most amazing three years of my life, both professionally and personally. I thought I came to give something, but it turned out that I was the one who received the most. The kindest hospitality, as I have been received as a colleague, a friend, a sister, a daughter and much more. I have become part of the family and Iraq and Kurdistan have become part of me. I have learned so much from Kurdish and Iraqi activists as well as from activists that work on international solidarity. I had the opportunity to visit Iraqi and Kurdish villages,  meet fishermen, academics, activists, with ministers and government officials, and religious leaders from Iraqi minorities like the Chaldean Patriarch and the Yezidi version of the pope. To experience the real Iraq, the diverse mosaic  of peoples and the cradle of ancient civilisation, I was in Babel and in the Sumerian capital of Ur.

The Ziggurat of Ur, the ancient capital of the Sumerians, Nasriya, Iraq. 

Working with internally displaced children

It is hard to summarize what I have been doing in Iraq for the past 3 years, but I will attempt to lay it down here, as it also helps me in the reflection process, in sinking in what I have been living, and in realizing how I have been transformed.

For the first months, I was living in Erbil and working with a local women organization. The usual struggle was adapting to a very different culture, finding a place to live and establishing my social networks. That was a big challenge. Then, I moved to Suleimaniya, and was working with internally displaced Iraqi children in a camp for those who fled the sectarian violence in Iraq in 2006. The camp was called Qalawa camp. There we had weekly psychosocial activities with the children, ranging from art, music, theatre, journaling, and games to stimulate teamwork, inclusion, and participation of all. I had come from working with Palestinian kids, so I thought this was going to be similar, but it was different in many ways. As we worked with the children for an extended period, we could see the changes, the transformations happening in these little people. Respect, and discipline were evolving through the different themes that we explored with the children. In Qalawa, I learned to feel at home in a place that many would call miserable. I came to teach the IDP children, but they became my teachers, and taught me that unconditional love is above all things, and that love can be the difference between giving all and giving nothing. Love is also discipline. We were giving the children something they didn't have; the space to be heard, to express their feelings and above all, the space to be children. That had a transforming effect although it was extremely tiring. Often times it took hours to get one task done, but the most important thing was that everyone counted. When we went to Qalawa, we didn't look at the poor and ill equipped tents, dirty clothes, and trash all over the camp, or the lack of infrastructures, or the mud that would get to everyone's knees during the winter, or the extreme cold or hot conditions, the lack of toilets, or the lack of basic home appliances. We looked at parents and kids' humanity. We were not there because we had pity on them. Nor be cause we were doing charity works, because we never gave them money (they never asked), or food, or any material things. We were there because of our commitment to change those kid’s lives. We gave them our time, our love and our knowledge.

Women Rights Advocacy

Iraqi Kurdistan might look as a progressive country when you compare it to the rest of Iraq. You see women without the hijab, wearing short sleeve t-shirts and working outside home, but if you scratch the surface, you get to see another layer. Early and force marriages and honor killings are issues that reflect the patriarchal nature of the society, where women are removed from public life and have little or no legal rights. Another aspect of my work was women's rights, working on an advocacy campaign against honor killing organized by Zhiyan Group, with members from 60 different local human and  women rights groups demanding that the government enforce a new domestic violence law, following up cases of honor killing, and exposing the issue to the media and the relevant government and ministries. My role was to document their work, via research and reports, and be an international observer, re-affirming their work and providing strategic insight.  I helped to write a report titled: “No to honor killing in the name of tradition and culture”. In this report, Zhiyan group documented public opinion about forced marriages, honor killing and the domestic violence law in two areas of Suleimaniya, where these crimes are prevalent.

Through this advocacy work I learned that democracy is a process that does not only requires having laws on paper only, but that needs to challenge institutions to get laws implemented and above all democracy requires mobilization. Along with local women activists, we went from the village, to the police station, to the court, to the streets, to the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Justice, and even to the Parliament, knocking every door unceasingly, raising the voices of women. We learned the important role that the media plays in enforcing democracy. Even when media is not completely independent in Iraq (it is affiliated to political parties), there is an opposition that brings alternate voices. I have seen a women's movement start to gain momentum in Kurdistan, united despite their different approaches; they have understood that they have a stronger voice if they work together. There was a big difference between International Women's Day in 2012, and the one this year. From a small rally of about 30, this year, the demonstration hosted more than a hundred people and delivered demands to the Suleimaniya office of the Parliament. 

I worked with very passionate and committed activists dealing with very delicate cases and risking their lives daily, some of my colleagues were attacked physically and threatened because of this work, but that didn’t persuade them to stop their work, instead they were more convinced that their work was being effective.

Demonstration on International Women's Day 2013 

Water rights and transboundary water issues between Turkey and Iraq

For the last year, I was part of a regional advocacy campaign, working to raise awareness about the negative impacts of Ilisu dam, one of 22 dams built in Turkey on the Tigris River. The campaign gathers people form Turkey, Iraq and internationally to raise awareness about the negative impact of the Ilisu dam, the biggest to be built on the Tigris River and that will have disastrous cultural, socio-economic, and environmental impacts on the population of Iraq. 

The urgency of this campaign is shown by the deterioration of the water quality in Iraq and the risk of disappearance of the Iraqi marshes, an important wetland in the Middle East. The Iraqi marshes have important cultural, natural and economic value to the communities that surround it. The dam issues is a political as well as a resource issue, as Iraq depends on the water of the Tigris for much of its water needs and the construction of this dam will reduce significantly the water available in Iraq. The problem cannot be reduced to this dam. The real problem is that there is no transboundary water agreement between the riparian countries that guarantees reasonable and equitable access to water to Iraq, and Iraqis feel that this dam could give Turkey control over much of Iraq's water and that Turkey could use it as a political tool whenever it wants to get something from Iraq.

I coordinate local and international activists in a campaign to raise awareness inside and outside of Iraq, and to join our campaign to the global movement to protect rivers and people who depend on them. In 2013, I traveled to represent the campaign in Tunis at the World Social Forum. I had the opportunity to organize a session on water grabs and global solidarity. In that session, we gathered activists and local community organizers from Mexico, Peru, India and Europe working against water privatization, mining construction in indigenous communities land and dams that displace people and damage river ecosystems. We shared experiences, strategies and lessons learned from all the movements. In Jordan, the campaign organized a seminar with Iraqi scholars and water experts that made recommendations on how to work with the transboundary water issue at the national and international level. In April and May, members of the campaign visited the Ilisu dam site Turkey, and Hasankeyf, one of the many communities that will be displaced by the dam construction.

Hasankeyf Ingathering 2013. Hasankeyf,  Turkey. April 2013. Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

Table at the Suleimaniya Green Music and Art Festival, April 2013. Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

Seminar: The Water Crisis in Iraq, Amman Jordan, May 2013. Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

International Activists Demonstration at hte Ilisu dam construction site, Ilisu, Turkey. May 2013.
Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

During June, the campaign organized awareness seminars in Iraq's south provinces of Basra, Missan, Thiqar (Nasriyah) and Diwaniyah, with the collaboration of Iraqi and international activists. The seminars were organized by local activists, and invited youth groups, community leaders, academics, members of the local government and local and national media. All these efforts gained support of youth and local activists and were building up to the campaign’s session on Iraqi Social Forum (ISF) organized in Baghdad in September 2013. The session brought together Iraqi lawyers and International activists to discuss legal strategies to protect the Tigris River. 

Awareness Session in Missan, June 2013. Missan Province, Iraq. Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

The campaign has been actively working with legal and water experts to develop a legal framework that includes diplomatic as well as international law perspective to solve the water issue and that could give Iraq the leverage to negotiate with Turkey a transboundary water agreement that will guarantee equal shares of the Tigris River. Mobilization has begun after the ISF, a statement from the Iraqi Jurist Union, demanding the government to actively engage with the water issue and with Turkey. In addition, one of Iraq’s most prominent religious leader demanded Iraq to take Turkey to the UN for arbitration on the water issue if the two states were not able to come to a solution on their own. 

Meeting with a representative of the Baghdad Provincial Council, Baghdad, Iraq. September 2013. Photo by: Johanna L. Rivera

This is just the start, and in the beginning I saw no big progress, but as I look back into these years I can see that things are moving, I can see that people are mobilizing. These are big issues that we are dealing with, and I have learned to see each achievement as a small victory in a long journey towards democracy. It didn’t take the west 10 years to achieve the improvements in human rights and democracy that we can see today, and it is easy to take for granted the work that others did to have the freedoms that we have. The same is true for Iraq and Kurdistan. It will probably take one or two more generations, but we have started. And we are moving steadily!  

Rivers Unite, Dams Divide: A Struggle to Protect Rivers and Preserve Life

“The struggle of the Mapuche, Hasankeyf and the Amazon, is a struggle to preserve the planet” Mapuche leader Moira Millan to Osman Baydemir, Mayor of Diyarbakir.

Mayalu, a young indigenous leader from the Matto Grosso communities in the Amazon holds a picture of a Hasankeyf mosque at the demonstration at the Ilisu construction site.

Last week I was in Diyarbakir together with an international delegation coming from as far as the end of the world. Indigenous leaders from Patagonia’s Mapuche, Amazon’s Kayapos, and Kenya’s Turkana people were part of an international rivers conference in Istanbul organized by Doga Dernegi, a local environmental organization. All of them had one thing in common: they were leaders of indigenous communities threatened by the construction of mega-dam projects and were there to show global solidarity with the people and the struggle against the Ilisu dam.

After the conference, the international delegation traveled to Diyarbakir and Hasankeyf to meet its people and politicians and to remind them of their responsibility to protect rivers and be the voice of their people. Mapuche leader Moira Millan told Osman Baydemir, Diyarbakir’s mayor that she had come from the end of the world to defend the Tigris River, “We stand in solidarity against the political and economical threats that are a threat to the continuity of peoples and cultures.” The mapuches have a long history in fighting to defend their land and rivers, Moira added: “To regain our freedom at the expense of the destruction of the planet is not true freedom, is the same logic that has enslaved us. I propose a toss for free rivers” and with a tea glass in hand, we all tossed for the world’s rivers.

A toss for rivers: Osman Baydemir Diyarbakir's mayor and mapuche leader Moira Millan

The mayor received us in a spirit of unity and solidarity, “Your presence here will raise awareness of millions and will create a network of solidarity.” “Dams are blocking natural flow of life” and he noted, “For investment to be true, it has to take human, environmental, social and cultural heritage at its center.” Speaking about the peace process he added, “The process at the moment is described as a ceasefire, it does not mean is a lasting peace. We need to guarantee under the constitution cultural and language rights. For a lasting peace, all groups should be given cultural and religious freedoms...Governments have to change policies towards nature, as long as forests are developed and rivers are dammed, it is not sustainable.” 

When I mentioned the Save the Tigris Campaign and civil society efforts in Iraq to increase awareness about the impact of upstream dams on Iraqi water resources, he was very happy. He mentioned that his city has started a pilot project of a waste treatment plant, to process the water before returning it back in the river, because it belongs to all the people living along the river. He encouraged cooperation through a recently launched initiative called “United Cities Local Governments,” which Diyarbakir is already a member, we could invite cities that lie along the river to develop stronger cooperation in projects. This could be an opportunity to work together towards solutions to the water issue. Later we moved to a square in the city for the showing of the Damocracy documentary. A lot of young people were there, especially curious about Joshua’s-the Turkana community leader- clothes and hat.

Joshua from the Turkana people in Kenya in Diyarbakir after the Damocracy documentary film

After the film, we had some time to share experiences and stories from our struggles that although different have many commonalities. Governments using violence and intimidation to undermine communities, displacement of already impoverished communities. Moira tells how in Argentina, the state is murdering indigenous people that oppose the way the state relates to nature and water. Two of her friends have been murdered. “It is very painful to think that tomorrow it can be me.”

An Unexpected Detour

Next day we headed to Hasankeyf, but before reaching the town, we made an unexpected detour. We went to the Ilisu dam construction site. There we had a peaceful demonstration where leaders from the indigenous communities held banners that read; “Rivers Unite; Dams Divide. Stop Belo Monte and Ilisu Dams” blocking the entrance. The international delegation joined local protesters in solidarity against the Ilisu dam. One of the messages from Joshua, representative of the Turkana people in Kenya was that “development needs to come within the social justice framework, if communities are involved in the initial stages, we will have consensus.”

International Delegation holding banners and blocking the entrance to the construction site of Ilisu dam

The image was powerful; a gathering of people from all over the world coming together to protect one of the rivers that gave birth to civilization; the Tigris River, separated by geography, language and culture, yet united in one voice, the voice of the river! When the delegation reached Hasankeyf after the protest, it was received with traditional music from Mesopotamia. We all walked towards the citadel, with music and displaying our message of rivers unite, and dams divide. Moira, the mapuche leader offered a traditional song from her people as a gift to the people of Hasankeyf.

Musicians from Hasankeyf receive the international delegation to traditional music from the area

After the long day, we were sitting in one of the cafes overlooking the Tigris River. Chief Megaron was next to me and I was just thinking about the big responsibility of this man to protect his community. They are around 6,000 people. I was talking to him in spanish and he was talking back in Portuguese. I pulled out my computer, and despite we were both tired,  I tried to explain the issue of salty water coming into the river in Basra, I showed him several maps, trying to convey the message, showing the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates in the Shatt al Arab. He got it.

In the meantime, Moira went into the river, to listen to it, something that is common in the mapuche culture; people talk and listen to the river. She came saddened and her eyes watering. She said the river is strong, it will survive, but what humanity is doing to its rivers is horrible. 

The international delegation overlooking the Tigris river along with local residents and the mayor of Batman

It gives me a lot of energy when I meet people like Moira, Joshua, Chief Megaron, and Dicle, doing what it takes to protect water, and protect life itself. This more than a meeting was a peoples gathering, giving, and sharing. We shared music, our connection to water, our struggle, and our solidarity. Why do governments insist on solutions that are not lasting, not sustainable? Dams displace, destroy community ties, and biodiversity, and are NOT a form of clean energy. Dams life span is 70-100 years, and for that we want to kill thousands of years of civilization. The Tigris is the place where civilization itself started, with the Sumerians. Are we willing to give it away to be dammed and destroyed? Is this the form of development that we want? When a river dies, the spirit of its people die.

Women as powerful agents of change!

As we speak, the indigenous people in Brazil have re-occupied the Belo Monte construction site. They were ordered by the court to leave by May 30th, 4pm local time, but they have decided to stay, and are putting their lives at risk to protect their land and their water. The court has ruled to use force to removed them from the construction site. They are saying: “we will die, but we will not leave without being heard.” Again the same struggle, people against government, corporations and private interest. Nature and the environment against a powerful machinery of development, investments, loans and capitalism. Are they going to lose their lives or is the Brazilian president going to listen to these communities and find a peaceful solution to the conflict. It is their struggle; it is now our struggle.

Chief Megaron looking at the old bridge, while in Brazil, its own people continue to ocupy the Belo Monte dam site

A similar version of this post appeared on the Iraqi Civil SOciety Solidarity Initiative
at http://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/archives/1830

Journal from Iraq: Global Solidarity, Transboundary Water and the Challenging Work of Saving a River

May 2^nd, 2013, Sulaimaniya, Kurdistan, Iraq

I've been off writing for a long time. Lately,  a sense of overwhelming has won me. Since last March, I was extremely busy with a lot of travel, which I love, but I get tired and often sick. Working on an advocacy campaign to protect Iraq's right to water has been the most amazing experience of my life, personally and professionally, but also a very demanding  task both physically and emotionally. 

In March, I was in Tunis, for the World Social Forum and had the opportunity to share experiences with other water activists and community organizers from all over the world. We organized a session on global solidarity against water grabbing by mining and dam projects with other two groups from Turkey and Latin America. It was amazing and we got to meet people from Peru, Mexico, India, Turkey and share experiences on the same issues: water grabbing.  Then I went to Basra, to be part of the first green festival on the Iraqi Marshes. I was denied entry, and deported back to Turkey. 

In Tunis, at the Climate Space talking about our session on dams and mining projects

From there, I traveled to Hasankeyf to share our struggle with the people who's lives will be directly impacted by the Ilisu dam. People in Hasankeyf  have been living in limbo for the past 10 years due to lack of certainty about the project's plans.

View of the Hasankeyf Artukid Bridge and the Tigris River

At the Green Festival in Suleimaniya with material
about the Save Tigris Campaign

Then back in Iraq, April saw a rise in violence, killing of protestors, and activists and an increase in the sectarian divide. That is discouraging and makes you reflect if your work is worthy. If I think about my work, its exciting and unique. A friend asked me yesterday what does a normal day looks like. There is no normal day, but this is how one of my days might look like: I could be speaking to Iraqi activists about how to strategize for next awareness workshop on water issues in Iraq, talking to international law experts getting legal advice on how to make people/government/transnational companies accountable for human rights or environmental law violations related to  dams projects affecting Iraq. To academics on transboundary water issues between Turkey and Iraq and the impacts of dams on Iraqi water resources. To journalists, explaining the aim of our advocacy campaign, or to common people about the importance to take steps to demand politicians to take action to protect Iraqi water resources.

I could be on any stretch of the Tigris River in Turkey, or in Iraq, or in the Iraqi Marshlands visiting the communities that will be affected by dam projects and explaining the efforts to protect Iraq's water.

A woman on the Iraqi Marshes in Chibayish, Nasriya province. The marshes are located in three of the south provinces of Iraq, Nasriya, Missan and Basra. 

Kids playing on the banks of the Tigris River in Hasankeyf, Turkey. This town is full of historical sites and is threatened to be flooded by the construction of Ilisu dam. The campaign I work, is to raise awareness about the impacts of this dam in Iraq and Turkey.

Taking to Iraqi Media after one of our seminars in south Iraq

All this is super interesting, but is natural to be tired and even discouraged, because as colleagues from Mexico shared with us, “these are long and tiring fights.” It is easy to get discouraged when you see or hear in the news what politicians really prioritize here in Iraq. The Iraqi government’s priority is to crack on protests, increase sectarian division, exploit the country’s resources for their own interest, while keeping people hostage, to surrender to the power –in the case the Shia majority to Maliki because he is the sole protector of the Shia majority population- and to look to their own political interests:  to consolidate power. The name of the game is Fear. On the other side, Turkey continues to appropriate water that belongs to Iraqis.

On a hiking trip to Kani Shook, one of the amazing canyons in Suleimaniya.

So how do I keep my sanity and motivation? In Spanish, there is a saying: “There is no calamity that last 100 years, nor body that can resist it.” When I m overwhelmed, I try to go into nature. Here in the north of Iraq, there is amazing nature, canyons, rivers, and mountains. Being in nature helps me to forget and to relax.

I trust that Iraqi people soon realize that division and sectarianism are not ingredients to develop a democratic and inclusive society. They must stop being fearful, and start to challenge the structures that prevent development. After years of war and dictatorship, Iraqis must work together to build a place based on inclusion not division, transparency, not corruption, redistribution of wealth [and Iraq has big wealth], and justice and protection of their environment. When they understand that those who want to bring fear and terror are the ones that benefit from a terrified population, that keep their power by instilling fear, then breaking the cycle of fear, will set them free. That, of course has a price; it does not come the easy way. That is part of history, no people have been granted freedom and justice; they have fought for it. I thin we have lost many, probably too many and is time to recognise that violence and terror cannot last forever.

Meet Me in Hasankeyf: Culture, People and Politics in Hasankeyf

After our session on global solidarity against water grabs, I headed to south east Turkey, the Kurdistan of Turkey, to the region where the GAP project is being implemented to attend the Hasankeyf Ingathering (April 5-8th) and explore this ancient city under threat of being engulfed by the Tigris river and with it, to wash away its ancient history and the culture of Mesopotamia.

Kids enjoying a Sunday afternoon picnic by the river in Hasankeyf. Photo by Johanna L. Rivera

The town of Hasankeyf, located at the intersection of Mesopotamia and Anatolia, is a small village of 2,900 people on the banks of the Tigris River. Mesopotamia, from the Greek “the land between the two rivers”.  After the Arab conquest, the land was divided into two: the south was called Sevad or Iraq, and the north was called Al Jazeera- “island”. Excavation in Hasankeyf Cairn proved that this town was part of the Neolithic revolution, taking Hasankeyf 11,500 years back in history. For this reason it has been shortlisted for the Europa Nostra list of the "7 most endangered."

Hasankeyf in History

Hasankeyf was one of the major stops on the transport route during medieval times, that started from Diyarbakir, passing through Cizre and Mosul to Baghdad. This was only possible because of the Tigris River, which is now under threat by the construction of Ilisu Dam, on a region that once was the beginning of civilization. It was also here in Hasankeyf were Islam set its roots in Anatolia, making the region around Hasankeyf one of the most important historical sites for the Islamic world.

Many rulers and conquerors passed through Hasankeyf, which reached its peak and developed its true identity between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries under the rule of the Artuqids (1102-1132) and Ayyubids. The bridge built by the Artuqids in Hasankeyf stands as the most magnificent example of the medieval period.

Artukid Bridge-12th century, Artukid. This majestic bridge was key to the city’s success as a regional trading center. The 12 carvings of human figures on hte central pylons are intriguing examples of Seljuk art (Cevik 56). Photo by Johanna L. Rivera

When Politics meets Archeology

There have been historical sites that have been already flooded, notably the roman city of Zeugma, near Gaziantep, which was submerged by Birecik dam on the Euphrates, the city was an important center for the Romans. When the dam lake started to sink the city, with some of the “most extraordinary examples to survive from the ancient world”. Some of the world’s top restorers arrived from Italy to rescue them from the floodwaters. Now you can visit the “Atlantis” underwater city and the historical park/museum that was built which displays the ancient mosaics. The Zeugma Mosaic Museum, at a cost of 30 million dollars has a collection of the rescued mosaics. Now visitors are able to see the carefully excavated buildings and streets, just 50 yards from the lake created by the dam reservoir there is a shiny $1.5-million multi level structure constructed to protect the remains of five Roman houses.

Hasankeyf meets 9 out of 10 of UNESCO’s criteria for a World Heritage Site. Rules from the WHC say that the only legitimate entity to propose a site is a government. In this case Turkey is not interested to apply for Hasankeyf, as this will put in jeopardy the biggest hydroelectric project on the Tigris River, Ilisu Dam. Prof. Cevik puts it this way: “Despite Hasankeyf survival of several uprisings, invasions and wars, escaping the Mongolian invasion, resisting neglect and chaos during the Ilhanli Governor’s period and consequently managing to heal all its wounds,  is now facing annihilation by the Ilisu dam project. It is not only Hasankeyf that will be flooded but also our architectural and cultural tradition; our history and identity.”

Zeynel Bey Tomb, Akkoyunlu, 15th Century. This monument is a rare, if not unique example of Timurid architecture in Anatolia, with onion dome, cylindrical exterior and octagonal interior. The large Arabic calligrams in deep blue tiles, wit h the names of Allah-Mohamed-Ali, reflect the intermingling elements today associated with Sunni-Shi’a branches of Islam. Photo by Johanna L. Rivera

The area of Hasankeyf was declared an archaeological site in 1978. Yet it is threatened to be flooded by the Ilisu dam, The project is built 80 km. downstream of Hasankeyf and the dam lake will cover all of the lower city. However, a scheme for relocation/protection of the monuments against inundation has not been researched, planned or approved. The Tigris River has been diverted through tunnels at the dam site, but still no concrete plan is in place for the sites protection and conservation. The collection of structures in Hasankeyf represents a unique collection of cultural assets in good state of preservation in one place that is valuable to those living in Modern Turkey, Greece, Iran, Syria, Iraq and beyond. In addition to its cultural value, Hasankeyf is unique for its biological diversity. A 2012 study by Murat Biricik and Recep Karakan recorded 133 species of birds, 18 of which are threatened species. The value of biodiversity is protected by 1992 Convention on Biodiversity to which Turkey is a signatory.

Meet me in Hasankeyf

Together with a delegation from Iraqis from Nature Iraq and ICSSI-Save the Tigris Campaign,  and internationals working in Iraq, we joined the "3rd Hasankeyf Ingathering" hosted jointly by by Doga Dernegi, Hasankeyf Matters and Nature Iraq. The ingathering is meant to promote Hasankeyf’s potential as a world class tourism site, but most importantly, to link locals and internationals together to share ideas on how to make the issue of Hasankeyf known to the rest of the world and to present Hasankeyf as a source for scholarship, cross-cultural understanding and sustainable economic development.

On Friday night, after dinner at Hasbahce, we watched Hasankeyf Life in Limbo, a documentary by Sakae Ishikawa, that we were very honored to have with us in Hasankeyf. John Crofoot from Hasankeyf Matters presented the program for the weekend, which included a scavenger hunt, a video contest, canyon walks and documentary watching and discussions. The program also included hiking, and canyon walks, early bird watching, and art workshops with children, and drinking tea and chatting with Hasankeyf women.

Hiking is one of many outdoor activities that you can enjoy in Hasankeyf. This is just part of the view from Hasankeyf and the Tigris river from one of the canyons. Hasankeyf Ingathering, photo by Johanna L. Rivera

Exploring the town means to go back in history to visit the Ayyubids, through Hasankeyf’s Rizk and Koç mosque, Suleiman’s mosque, Zeynel Bey Tomb, hiking through its amazing canyons, and meeting the local “çoban” or shepherd, and exploring the thousands of caves carved into the limestone cliffs overlooking the Tigris River.

On a Saturday afternoon, we were invited by the village's women for a delicious dolma lunch stuffed 

grape leave and vegetables. We seated on the grass overlooking the majestuous Suleiman’s mosque dating back to the 15th century. There, we were surrounded by children playing and the silent monuments testifying to thousands of years of culture and history; we chatted about customs and traditions in Hasankeyf, talking about weddings, and traditional life.

On Sunday early morning, some woke up just before 5:00 to hike up on the canyon, to enjoy the amazing views that Hasankeyf offers, and watch the sunrise from one of the canyons, I was a bit lazy and woke up just before 6:00 for the bird watching. It was my first bird watching experience, but Evrim, our local Doga Dernegi guide made it a great one, Hasankeyf’s breathtaking views are sufficient to make anyone want to wake up early. Its quietness, its birds, its river, its cliffs, its monuments all conspire to make Hasankeyf a unique jewel, a place of peace, of joy, of happiness.

Doga Dernegi organized a bird watching, worth waking up at 5:00 am. Photo by Johanna L. Rivera

On Monday morning, over tea and pide, Fares, a Hasankeify, described the trips on the Tigris using the Kelek, the traditional boat they used to transport goods through the Tigris River from Diyarbakir to Mosul. These trips along with the traditional boats used stopped around the 1960’s, coinciding with the dam era.  Our attempts to gather the local knowledge of the river and how these trips were done are part of the The Tigris Flotilla, where we will reproduce the journey through the Tigris using the Kelek, the traditional boat used in this part of the Tigris. We will also travel with the Tarrada and the Guffa, trying to bring awareness to the threats facing these timeless waters.

Fares as he described the journeys through the Tigris on the Kalak, the traditional boat used in this part of the river. Photo by Johanna L. Rivera

Monday night, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends and to start our journey back to Iraq. My eyes watered and it was hard to say goodbye to the new-but feeling like old Hasankeyf family. After meeting Firat and his hospitality, Arif with his friendliness and a unique story for each carpet in his shop, Fares and the old river stories, and the friends at Villa Park and Artukid cafe, exploring the canyons, caves, mosques and other unique architectural jewels, it is hard to picture that the future of Hasankeyf is still uncertain. As our bus was approaching and after some bargaining, we managed to have Arif sing to us Aiche, and Ahmed and Mohamed followed with a traditional Iraqi song. The Ingathering was special  for all of us who attended, Iraqis, Hasankeyfis and of course us from all parts of the world. I liked the words of our friend John: “ I loved the send off for you guys when you boarded the bus back to Sulaymaniyah -- we were singing and dancing in the middle of the main intersection, one great big family of human beings.”

A version of this blogpost appears at the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative website.
The work is part of the Save the Tigris Campaign in an effort to expose the dangers of Ilisu dam to the communities in Hasankeyf and the communities surrounding the Tigris River in Iraq.